Reinless to Rawlinna riders begin their 400km journey

Reinless to Rawlinna rider Robin Lonsdale with her horse Jasper at a rest stop 20km north of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. (ABC Goldfields: Rebecca Brewin)

Susie Williams and Robin Lonsdale take off on Cooper Pedy and Jasper. Unfortunately third rider Gill Johnston's horse is unfit to make the journey. (ABC Goldfields: Rebecca Brewin)

The riders will travel 400km inland, covering 50km per day, to arrive in Rawlinna in time for the annual Nullarbor Muster. (ABC Goldfields : Rebecca Brewin)

Susie Williams, Robin Lonsdale and Gill Johnston all say they've learnt a lot about themselves, each other and their horses through preparing for the ride. (ABC Goldfields : Rebecca Brewin)

Susie Williams and Robin Lonsdale will be riding Cooper Pedy and Jasper on their epic journey as third rider Gill Johnston, whose horse has developed a potentially life threatening condition known as 'tying up', drives the support vehicle.

Training for the ride without reins or bridles began 12 months ago and included exposing the horses to high pressure situations, such as riding down Kalgoorlie's main street late on a Saturday night.

The added challenge of going reinless means the riders will use their legs and voices to communicate with and guide their horses. Training to do this has increased the bond between rider and horse.

"We've discovered a heap about ourselves, about each other and about our horses," Robin told Kirstyn March on ABC Goldfields-Esperance.

The women will cover 50km a day on a track mirroring the Trans Access Road, meaning it will take eight days to arrive in Rawlinna.

"People don't realise how beautiful that country is, it's amazingly diverse and there is flora and fauna everywhere," Susie said.

"We're very excited to be riding through it."

Challenges along the way

But the ride, which the women believe is unprecedented, is not without its challenges.

"We're very concerned about wild dogs and camels. The camels seem to have come further in and horses and camels traditionally don't get on that well," Susie said.

"We've done a lot of work to address the wild dogs but camels came in a bit later, so we haven't done as much as we would have liked.

"The other major issue is the endurance of the horses, making sure they are happy and healthy and ready to go all the way, because 50km a day is quite a lot."

The riders will meet support vehicles to camp overnight along the way but, with luxuries like a queen-sized bed and microwave in one of the trailers, the trio insisted they won't be roughing it.

Plans to bring a spa along went unmet as the logistics of sourcing water became a problem, they joked.

A personal journey

The ride will raise money for the Royal Flying Doctors Service, Beyond Blue and the Melanoma Institute, but will also be a personal journey for the riders.

"The journey started 12 months ago when we started training," Susie said.

"To get your horse to the point where it will travel through the CBD reinless, you have to confront a lot of demons of your own before you can do that. So yes, the journey has been well underway for 12 months."

As for what to do with reinless hands for eight days, Susie and Robin plan on getting crafty.

"I'm knitting because I get bored very quickly, so I've got a whole heap of baby bonnets to catch up on," Susie said.

"I'll be crocheting a blanket that will hopefully be finished by the time we get to Rawlinna and we can auction it for our charities," Robin said.